ASIA/CHINA – New Church in the Diocese of Wenzhou dedicated to Saint Thérèse of Lisieux

Wenzhou – The consecration and opening of a new church dedicated to Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, Patron Saint of missions, marks a new beginning for the faith and commitment of the Catholic community of Zhaoyang, part of the Shuitou parish in Pingyang County, Zhejiang Province. The small coastal community in the Diocese of Wenzhou, historically composed mainly of fishing families, celebrated the consecration and opening of its new parish church on May 4. Around 2,000 parishioners participated in the celebrations. Father Hu Longjian celebrated the Mass of thanksgiving, concelebrated by parish priest Lin Shengli and 20 other diocesan priests, who gathered around the altar before the statue of Saint Thérèse, who will watch over the community’s path.
The new church is both solemn and simple, inviting contemplation. Members of the community had long expressed the desire to dedicate the new church to the Saint of the “Little Way”. The construction and consecration of the new church also represent a testimony of faith.
As the parish priest emphasizes, the Catholic faith has a long history in the Zhaoyang region. The baptized live their belonging to the Catholic Church with simplicity and joy in their daily lives, helping one another and performing small acts of charity. In this spirit, they have always been united by a shared devotion to Saint Thérèse, whose example offers them comfort and perfectly reflects the humility, devotion, and charity of the small community. The church was made possible thanks to the dedication of the diocesan priests and the spiritual and material generosity of all the faithful, who contributed according to their means through donations and labor. Now the entire community finds in the church a place to pray, to receive the sacraments, and to experience fraternal communion in the face of the demands and challenges of everyday life.

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